Firing of SHS coach over texts affects football, baseball

Superintendent Zachary McLaughlin reiterated his refusal Tuesday to publicly discuss the decision to dismiss Springfield High School varsity football coach Gary Harris.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20150318/NEWS02/703189884

Firing of SHS coach over texts affects football, baseball By Susan Smallheer Staff Writer | March 18,2015 SPRINGFIELD — Superintendent Zachary McLaughlin reiterated his refusal Tuesday to publicly discuss the decision to dismiss Springfield High School varsity football coach Gary Harris. McLaughlin confirmed that Harris’ non-renewal as coach would also affect his position as head varsity baseball coach. While spring sports practice began Monday for all Vermont high schools, McLaughlin said that the school district just hired Rich Saypack of Springfield, a new head baseball coach, to replace Harris. McLaughlin said the football coach job was a nonlicensed position, and thus was not covered by the teachers’ union contract, which includes several avenues of appeals. “As a nonlicensed employee, the end of the line with them is with me,” said McLaughlin, referring to the football staff. He said he knew people were unhappy with his decision not to discuss the personnel matter publicly. But, he said, even to start to discuss the process behind his decision would be heading down a “slippery slope.” Meanwhile, Harris, who is a teacher at Community High School of Vermont at the Rutland jail, said his attorney was out of town Tuesday and he was waiting for legal advice before releasing the hundreds of text messages at the heart of the dispute. Harris said Monday night that text messages exchanged between the football coaching staff had been interpreted to be “racist, homophobic and bullying,” although he strongly denied they were. McLaughlin has refused to confirm anything. Harris said he had deleted the text messages at the heart of the dispute around the time they were written. But he said he had been given copies by the school administration during its investigation. Harris was strongly supported by more than 100 people at Springfield School Board’s regular monthly meeting. The crowd, which included many of his football players, their parents and other community members, urged McLaughlin and the School Board to reconsider their decision. Both parents and students praised Harris, who moved to Vermont last summer from Tennessee, saying he had started to bring back “Cosmo Pride” after years of devastating losses by the football team. Last fall, the team won two games after three winless seasons, including one season where varsity football was suspended. McLaughlin said the head football coach selects his assistant coaches, and as a result, the four-person coaching team would need to be hired by the new football coach. One assistant coach, Jim Fog, had not been renewed in December after a review by Harris, Harris said Monday night. The other two assistants, Joe Brown, who is also the Springfield High School head girls basketball coach, and Jake Patoine, a recent Springfield High School graduate, as a result were not offered contracts. Earlier this winter Brown had resigned as the part-time athletic director at SHS. And by coincidence, the School Board on Monday night approved a new job description for a new full-time job of combined athletic director and trainer, to serve both the high school and Riverside Middle School. SHS Principal Bob Thibault said the combined, full-time job would give the School Board a “deeper pool of applicants” for the job. McLaughlin said it had been at least five years since SHS has had a full-time athletic director or trainer. A trainer is now required by the state for all “collision” sports such as football and wrestling. A major concern, McLaughlin said, is the threat of concussions.